The Pinocchio Syndrome is not a formally recognized medical or psychological diagnosis but a term occasionally used informally or metaphorically to describe a person who: 1) Habitually lies, often compulsively or pathologically, 2) Exhibits signs of dishonesty, such as nervousness, inconsistent stories, or over-explaining, and/or 3) May believe their falsehoods, blurring the line between truth and fabrication.
Scripture specifies lying as sin.
In Proverbs 19:1 Solomon advised his son that it is better to be poor and walk with integrity than perverse in his speech and a liar. In Psalm 52, the sweet psalmist of Israel determined that Doeg the Edomite was more at home at lying than at truthfulness. Charles H. Spurgeon [1834-1892], England’s 19th-century ‘Prince of Preachers,’ said of Doeg that “He spake not the truth except by accident, but delighted heartily in falsehood. Selah. Let us pause and look at the proud, blustering liar.”
Which, alas, brings us to former President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. [born 1942]. The ultra-liberal New York Times noted that Biden’s lack of truthfulness continued through his presidency: “In 1988, Joe Biden was prone to embellishment. Hints of that linger today.”
They were referring to an incident in 1997 in which then-Senator Joe Biden, a leading Democratic contender for the presidency, plagiarized a speech from Neil Kinnock, the leader of the British Labour Party. The Kinnock episode prompted further examination of Biden’s past, revealing:
• Law School Plagiarism: In 1965, Biden plagiarized portions of a law review article during his first year at Syracuse University College of Law.
• Academic Record Misstatements: Biden made inaccurate claims about his academic achievements, including overstating his class rank and the number of degrees he earned.
“I went to law school on a full academic scholarship, the only one in my class to have a full academic scholarship, and ended up in the top half of my class. I was the outstanding student in the political science department at the end of my year and graduated with three degrees from undergraduate school.”
Biden later conceded that 1) he did not graduate in the top half of his law school class, 2) he did not have three degrees from college, and 3) he was not named Outstanding Political Science Student in college.
• Outstanding Political Science Student in college: The truth is that student Biden ended up near the bottom of his class with only one degree, not three, and ranked 76th in a class of 85 at the University of Syracuse Law School.
• Statements Regarding Family Business Dealings: Biden has repeatedly asserted that he never discussed business dealings with his family members. However, investigations and reports have challenged this claim. For instance, records indicate that he attended a dinner with his son Hunter Biden and Hunter’s business associates, contradicting earlier denials.
The House Oversight Committee reported on August 24, 2023, that “Joe Biden lied at least 16 times about his family’s business schemes.”1
• Misrepresentation of Civil Rights Involvement: The former president every now and then declared to have played a more active role in the civil rights movement than records support. His claims of having participated in protests and activism have all been challenged and labeled as exaggerations.2
William S. Plumer [1802-1880], the American clergyman, theologian, and author, noted that “a lie very ingeniously framed and rehearsed in an oily manner is as great a sin and, in the end, will be seen to be as great a folly as the most bungling attempt at deception.”
As to the political consequences of President Biden’s governance and control over the Democratic Party, his lying, cognitive decline, physical limitations, and glimpses of dementia caused the American political commentator, attorney, author, and civil rights advocate Van Jones [born 1968] to explain to CNN’s Jake Tapper:
“I don’t care who you are, left, right, or otherwise. Anyone who cares about this country and the dynamics of power, this is the emperor’s new clothes playing itself out in real time. Everybody knew [of Joe Biden’s decline]. There are people who knew and said nothing, and that is a crime against this Republic. And I think the Democrats are going to pay for a long time for being a part of what is now being revealed to be a massive cover-up.”
x.com/alexthomp/status/1924117583977979995?s=42
As for the personal ramifications, Jewish Hebrew scholar Michael V. Fox in referring to Proverbs 10:7 observed that “the innocent man is remembered after his death, while the wicked one sinks into oblivion.”
Ben Domenech [born 1982], editor-at-large of The Spectator World and FOX News commentator, echoed last week a growing sentiment among a majority of Americans that the erosion of public trust in American institutions is a direct result of recent actions taken by political, media, and corporate elites: Morning Joe and Mika, Jake Tapper, Jen Psaki, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, et al., they all lied to you. x.com/bdomenech/status/1923517711558062159?s=42
Add in the COVID lies [e.g., on masking, lockdowns, vaccine mandates], the depiction of the 2020 Black Lives Matter burning and looting of American cities as “mostly peaceful” protests, the weaponization of politics by the Biden Administration [e.g., investigations and indictments of political opponents], and some of the financial institutions de-banking people over ideology [ideological punishment by private actors aligned with elite interest]. With all these mendacious falsifications having been launched and carried out by so-called ‘tolerant’ liberal secularists, we arrive at the real threat to free speech, equal justice, and due process.3
Thankfully, Gideons and Rahabs have entered the public square of America where, to paraphrase Leviticus 26:8 “five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight...”
The warning sign in 1 Kings 18:44 of A cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea moreover tells us to get ready and making an effort.
David Lane
American Renewal Project
1. oversight.house.gov/blog/joe-biden-lied-at-least-15-times-about-his-familys-business-schemes/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
2. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmW_CLyjqgY
3. x.com/rachelbovard/status/1924490016425705838?s=42
